Boise State has been the little engine that could that all programs not associated with a power conference have been aspiring to be. Fresno State used to be there before Boise State emerged, and Friday night the Bulldogs took a giant step in getting back to that level. In a back-and-forth game from start to finish, Fresno State ended the night with a 41-40 victory in what could be a preview of the first Mountain West Conference championship game later this year.
Boise State mounted a furious comeback in the fourth quarter, scoring two touchdowns to cap a 21-point rally and take a lead after trailing 34-19 late in the third quarter, but Derek Carr guided the fresno state offense down field to retake the lead on a short touchdown pass to Josh Quedaza. The defense held Boise State on a fourth down around midfield to takeover on downs and run out the clock.
Carr finished the night with 460 passing yards and four touchdowns. Isaiah Burse and Davante Adams each had 100 receiving yards, and Adams extended his scoring streak to 11 games.
Boise State quarterback Joe Southwick had his up and down moments, passing for 313 yards and one interception. Southwick made some plays to help the Broncos come back in the fourth quarter but was lucky a video review went in his favor after losing the football on a run down toward the Fresno State end zone. On Boise State’s final possession of the night Southwick succumbed to the pressure brought by Fresno State’s defense and failed to pick up one last first down.
Fresno State moves to 4-0 and now can begin putting together whatever kind of BCS Buster profile they can manage while taking things one game at a time.
Fresno State’s path to an undefeated team has few road blocks standing in the way. With two of the toughest games now behind them (Rutgers, Boise State), the Bulldogs should be in a favorable position moving forward against a relatively weak schedule. Next week Fresno State heads to Hawaii and the final game of the regular season at San Jose State could be another shootout to be cautious of. The Spartans have another of the top quarterbacks in the conference with David Fales. Fresno State should be considered a strong favorite to advance to the conference championship game, and with this win they could very well be hosting Boise State in a rematch, or Utah State.